Continental System

The Continental System was an alliance of European nations that implemented a trade embargo against the United Kingdom after the Berlin Decree of 21 November 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon created the Continental System with the goal of knocking the United Kingdom out of the anti-France coalition, as a blockade could prevent the British from making enough money to wage war against the French effectively. The system was expanded to include the Russian Empire, Prussia, and the Austrian Empire after the Treaties of Tilsit in 1807, and Spain also adopted the system. Howeever, Portugal refused to join the system due to its alliance with Britain, and Britain bullied Denmark into leaving the system. Membership in the system fluctuated, as member states often switched between being French allies and French enemies. The system came to a permanent end in 1814 with Napoleon's abdication.